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Accused of molesting 12 girls, Ferozepur teacher suspended
A teacher in Guru Har Sahai has been suspended for allegedly molesting 12 girls. An inquiry committee is investigating, with police recording statements.
The teacher who has been accused of molesting and sexually harassing at least 12 girls at a government school in Guru Har Sahai of Ferozepur has been suspended, district education officer (secondary) Manila Arora said on Monday. Also a three-member inquiry committee, constituted by deputy commissioner Deepshikha Sharma, reached the school to initiate a probe. Apart from district education officer Manila Arora, the panel includes assistant commissioner (grievances) Harjot Kaur and district programme officer Ruchika Nanda.
“The team interacted at length with students and their parents to gather information. Notably, another male teacher, who has been accused of attempting to suppress the matter, was also questioned,” said an official wishing not to be named. The committee is expected to submit its findings to the deputy commissioner on Tuesday following which further action will be taken.
Meanwhile, the police recorded statements of eight out of the 12 complainants. The statements of more girls will be recorded on Tuesday. “As many as 12 girls have alleged molestation and another girl has come forward as a witness,” sources said.
Parents of the victims have demanded strict action not only against the suspended teacher but also against other staff members, including women, who allegedly tried to silence the students through alleged intimidation. DC Deepshikha Sharma reiterated that all aspects of the case were being looked into. Appropriate action will follow after the committee’s report is submitted, she said.
Accused Raj Kumar Chugh, who was booked under Sections 74, 79 (outraging woman’s modesty) and 75 (sexual harassment) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with Section 8 (sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, is in 14-day judicial custody and lodged in the Ferozepur Central Jail.
The matter came to light when one of the students dropped a handwritten complaint in the school’s suggestion box. Principal Karan Singh Dhaliwal had constituted an internal committee of female teachers to carry out a preliminary inquiry. The report was forwarded to district education officer Manila Arora, who escalated the matter to the directorate of public education (DPE), Chandigarh.
